Method and apparatus for playing a singing game

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for playing a singing game in which one player announces a trigger word, and the other players compete to begin singing a song within a predefined period of time and must sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word in order to score.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the field of games, and more specifically, it is a method and apparatus for playing a singing game in which a player selects a trigger word and other players attempt to sing a song that includes the trigger word.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are a number of patents and published applications that cover board games related to music, the performing arts, and/or rhyming, but none of them involves the same type of rules or basis of play as in the present invention. These references are discussed below.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,667 (Gorski et al., 1990) discloses a performing artist game in which players are required to perform auditions that are typical of an audition required for a performing artist in a number of performing art fields. The playing team members observe the impromptu audition performance for the purpose of developing multipart answers to a specific team question. For example, the team member performing the audition might be required to play John Wayne on a cruise ship selling honey, and the other team members would be required to name the actor, location and/or product. This game is similar to the traditional game of charades in that someone acts something out, and the other players have to guess what it is that the person is acting out.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,277 (Lenhart et al., 1995) describes a game in which players must provide rhyming responses in order to advance on the game board. In the Rhyming King category, a player selects a card from a deck of cards and reads a word from that card to the other players. The player reading the word aloud then has a designated period of time in which to create a four-line “story” rhyme using that word. The player's response must develop into a story, as judged by the other players. The Rhyming Queen category is similar to the Rhyming King category except that the player must also use three out of five additional words and/or phrases as part of the rhyme. In the Rhyme Together category, a word is read aloud, and players must call our rhyming words. There are other categories of play (Rhyme Time, Rhyming Choice and Rhyming Challenge), all of which involves rhymes.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,561 (Hoffman) provides a music trivia game in which players advance game pieces on a game board depending on their answers to music trivia questions. The question cards have musical questions arranged in categories of decades. Some of the questions relate to titles of songs, artists who sing the songs, and the lyrics of songs.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,475 (Newton, 2004) discloses a board game in which team members sing songs recorded by a performing artist identified on a game card, and the other team members guess the artist. If the artist is guessed correctly, then the team guessing the artist may advance its game piece on the game board. The game board includes Karaoke, ATM and Stage Freight squares. If a player lands on a Karaoke square, he may either sing a song or give word clues about an artist in an attempt to solicit the correct artist name from his team members. If the artist is guessed by the player singing the song, then that player's team advances its game piece on the board and gets another turn. If the artist is guessed with word clues, then that team's game piece is advanced on the board, but the team does not get another turn. If a player lands on an ATM or Stage Freight squares, then a card is drawn, and play continues according to the instructions on the card.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,645 (Wong, 2009) describes a multi-player audio game system and console in which players plug their own audio player devices into the game console, and the console displays a music question or challenge selected from questions stored in memory. When the question or challenge is displayed (for example, “Be the first player to play a song from Motown”), players compete to be the first to play a musical piece from their own audio player device that meets the criteria displayed by the console. If the other players deem the response to be incorrect, then that player's song input may be muted, and other players may respond until someone wins.

U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2004/0094896 (Simmons) provides a game in which players select cards from different card decks, each of which represents a given subject matter. For example, one deck might represent party names, another deck might represent Christmas names, another deck might represent religious names, and yet another deck might represent sports names. The object of the game is to have players create new songs based upon a word on a card selected from a given deck. For example, a player might select a card with the word “tree” on it in the Christmas category. The player then has a certain amount of time in which to improvise and begin singing a song that includes the word “tree.”

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method for playing a singing game with at least two players comprising the steps of: providing a game board with a treble clef graphic in which the treble clef is divided into spaces along the length of the treble clef; assigning each player a playing piece; alternately designating different players to act as the tunesmith and requiring the tunesmith to announce a trigger word; allowing the players other than the tunesmith to compete to begin singing within a predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if a player other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing that player to advance his playing piece on the game board; if none of the players other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing the tunesmith to begin singing within a new predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing the tunesmith to advance his playing piece on the game board; and if the tunesmith is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, requiring the tunesmith to move his playing piece backward on the game board.

In a preferred embodiment, musical notes are located on certain of the spaces on the game board, and the method further comprises requiring a player whose playing piece lands on a space with a musical note to select a game card and follow the instructions on the game card. In one embodiment, the game board is electronic.

In an alternate embodiment, there are at least three players, the game board includes a finish position, and the method further comprises: when a player reaches the finish position, requiring the player who is in a third place position on the board to announce a trigger word and allowing the player in the finish position to begin singing within a predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if the player who is in the finish position is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, declaring the player in the finish position the winner of the game; if the player who is in the finish position is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing the player in the third place position to begin singing within a new predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if the player in the third place position is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, requiring the player in the finish position to remain in the finish position without winning the game and allowing the player in the third place position to advance his playing piece on the game board; and if the player in the third place position is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, declaring the player in the finish position winner of the game.

The present invention is also a method for playing a singing game with at least two players comprising the steps of: providing a game board that is divided into spaces for advancing playing pieces on the game board; assigning each player a playing piece; alternately designating different players to act as the tunesmith and requiring the tunesmith to announce a trigger word; allowing the players other than the tunesmith to compete to begin singing within a predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if a player other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing that player to advance his playing piece on the game board; if none of the players other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing the tunesmith to begin singing within a new predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing the tunesmith to advance his playing piece on the game board; and if the tunesmith is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, requiring the tunesmith to move his playing piece backward on the game board.

The present invention is also an apparatus for playing a singing game comprising: a game board with a treble clef graphic in which the treble clef is divided into spaces along the length of the treble clef; at least two playing pieces; and a plurality of game cards; wherein different players take turns acting as the tunesmith; wherein the tunesmith is required to announce a trigger word; wherein the players other than the tunesmith compete to begin singing within a predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; wherein if a player other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, that player is allowed to advance his playing piece on the game board; wherein if none of the players other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the tunesmith is allowed to begin singing within a new predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; wherein if the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the tunesmith is allowed to advance his playing piece on the game board; and wherein if the tunesmith is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the tunesmith is required to move his playing piece backward on the game board.

In a preferred embodiment, musical notes are located on certain of the spaces on the game board, and a player whose playing piece lands on a space with a musical note must select a game card and follow the instructions on the game card. In one embodiment, the game board is electronic.

In an alternate embodiment, there are at least three players; the game board comprises a finish position; when a player reaches the finish position, the player who is in a third place position on the board is required to announce a trigger word, and the player who is in the finish position is allowed to begin singing within a predefined of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if the player who is in the finish position is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the player in the finish position wins the game; if the player who is in the finish position is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, then the player in the third place position is allowed to begin singing within a new predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if the player in the third place position is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the player in the finish position is required to remain in the finish position without winning the game, and the player in the third place position is allowed to advance his playing piece on the game board; and if the player in the third place position is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the player in the finish position wins the game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of the rules of play of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention in which the leader must win a challenge from the third place player in order to win the game.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the game board of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are illustrations of three sample game cards of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Prior to the commencement of play, each player chooses a playing piece (e.g., a pawn) and places it at the Start position on the game board (see FIG. 3). Each player is provided with a pencil and a page from the Hit-List Tablet. The Hit-List Tablet is a notepad provided with the game that is used by players to write down their Trigger-Words, but any piece of paper may be used. Players should take a few minutes to think of lyrics from songs they know and to jot down on the Hit-List Tablet page specific words from the lyrics of these songs. These words will be referred to herein as Trigger-Words. The Trigger-Words must be words, not phrases.

In choosing Trigger-Words, players should try to select words that will stump other players from being able to sing songs containing those words. For example, suppose a player thinks of the following lyrics: “Take me out to the ball game; take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack; I don't care if I never get back.” The player might choose “take” as the Trigger-Word to write down in his/her Hit-List (i.e., the player's list of Trigger-Words). Any word from the lyrics to the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” could be chosen as the Trigger-Word, so players should try to select a word that will stump the other players from being able to sing any song containing that word. For example, many songs contain the word “take.” The word “crowd” might be a better Trigger-Word to stump the other players because it is not as common in other lyrics. Every player is allowed to add Trigger-Words to his or her Hit-List throughout the game.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of the rules of play of the present invention. Once the players have each written down some Trigger-Words on their Hit-Lists, one person is selected to act as the first Tunesmith. In a preferred embodiment, the first Tunesmith is the oldest person playing the game. The Tunesmith turns over a 15-second timer and announces a Trigger-Word from his or her Hit-List. All other players then have an opportunity, within the 15-second time period, to begin singing a song in which the lyrics include the Trigger-Word. The first player to start singing during the 15-second time period and to sing at least five words (including the Trigger-Word) scores. The scoring player then rolls the dice and advances his or her pawn on the game board the number of spaces shown on the dice.

If a player is the first to start singing during the 15-second time period but subsequently stalls, then another player may jump in and begin singing within the same 15-second period. In that event, the player who is first able to sing at least five words (including the Trigger-Word) from a song scores. Players will have to judge whether someone has stalled in his or her singing of a song, in which case another player is allowed to jump in.

If no player is able to begin singing within the 15-second time period and sing at least five words (including the Trigger-Word) of a song thereafter (the singing of the at least five words including the Trigger-Word does not need to be completed within the 15-second time period as long as singing has begun within that 15-second time period), then the Tunesmith has a new 15-second time period in which to begin singing and subsequently sing at least five words of a song that includes the Trigger-Word. If the Tunesmith succeeds, then the Tunesmith may roll the dice and advance his or her pawn on the game board the number of spaces shown on the dice. If the Tunesmith does not succeed, then the Tunesmith rolls the dice and moves his or her pawn backwards on the game board the number of spaces shown on the dice. This rule discourages players from selecting Trigger-Words that he or she cannot use in a song.

In order to score, a player does not necessarily have to sing the song that the Tunesmith had in mind when writing down his or her Trigger-Word. A player may sing any song that includes the Trigger-Word. The singing must begin within the 15-second time period, and the player must sing at least five words (including the Trigger-Word) of the song in order to score. The player need not sing the entire song or even an entire verse, however, and the Trigger-Word need not be included in the title of the song. The player may begin singing the song at any point in the song, as long as at least five words (including the Trigger-Word) are eventually sung. Once a song has been sung, it may not be used again during the rest of the game. Trigger-Words, however, may be used more than once during a single game.

In singing songs with Trigger-Words, any variation of the root word is acceptable, as are homonyms. For example, if the Trigger-Word is “made,” lyrics with “make,” “making,” “makes” or even the homonym “maid” would be allowable. Lyrics containing singular or plural forms of the Trigger-Word are also acceptable. For example, if the Trigger-Word is “goose,” then “geese” would be acceptable. In a preferred embodiment, compound words that incorporate the Trigger-Word are also acceptable; for example, “cowboy” would be accepted if the Trigger-Word were “cow.” The Trigger-Word does not have to be part of the title of the song.

Lyrics sung by players must be from a commonly known or recognizable song. Players are the judges of what constitutes a commonly known or recognizable song. In a preferred embodiment, children's songs and commercial jingles are allowed; however, players may not create or make up songs during play and are discouraged from doing so. If a player sings a song that he or she has created during play, then that player does not score, and the Tunesmith has an opportunity to score once the initial 15-second time period has expired.

Play preferably rotates clockwise after each Trigger-Word so that the player to the first Tunesmith's left becomes the next Tunesmith. Play continues until a player reaches the Finish position. Players do not have to roll the exact number to reach the Finish position.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the game board of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the game board preferably comprises a graphic design of a treble cleft divided into spaces with musical notes randomly indicated on some of the spaces. If, at any point in the game, a player lands on a musical note, then the player selects a game card and follows the directions on the card. Note that the game board may be a physical game board or a virtual game board on a computer, television or any other device that includes a monitor. The present invention may be played in person, online, or on television (as in a game show) and is not intended to be restricted by type of media.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are illustrations of three sample game cards. The present invention is not limited to any particular format or content of the game cards. In a preferred embodiment, some game cards are favorable to the player drawing the card, and others are not. Whenever a game card requires a player to sing a song, the same rules as set forth above regarding word forms (variations, homonyms, etc.) apply.

If, at any point in the game, there is a dispute as to whether the lyrics sung by a player are accurate, whether the Trigger-Word (or a variation thereof) was included in a song, whether a player stalled in singing a song (thereby allowing another player to jump in), which player started singing first, etc., then the preferable method for resolving all such disputes is to poll all players and let the majority vote determine the outcome. In the event that two or more players start singing simultaneously and a majority of players is unable to decide who began singing first, the Tunesmith may resolve the dispute by challenging the tied singing players to a “battle-off' to break the tie. The Tunesmith announces a new Trigger-Word, and only the tied singing players are allowed to compete. If none of the tied players is able to begin singing a song with the Trigger-Word within the 15-second time period and to sing at least five words including the Trigger-Word, then the Tunesmith has the opportunity to begin singing such a song within a new 15-second period and to sing a song containing at least five words (including the Trigger-Word), as described above.

Once a player reaches the Finish position, then in one embodiment, the game ends. In an alternative embodiment, once a player reaches the Finish position, then the player in the third position (referred to herein as the “Challenger”) announces a word from his or her Hit-List, and the player in the Finish position (referred to herein as the “Leader”) has 15 seconds in which to begin singing and then to sing at least five words (including the Trigger-Word) from a song. If the Leader is unable to do so, then the Leader remains in the Finish position, and the Challenger has an opportunity to begin singing within a new 15-second period and then to sing at least five words (including the Trigger-Word) from a song. If the Challenger is unable to do so, then the Leader wins the game. If the Challenger is able to do so, then he or she rolls one die and advances his or her pawn on the game board the number of spaces shown on the die. Play then continues with the next Tunesmith. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of this embodiment.

Although the above description requires players to sing at least five words of a song including the Trigger-Word, players may vary the rules to make it harder (more words) or easier (fewer words) to score. Similarly, although the above description refers to a 15-second time period for the players to begin singing, the present invention is not limited to any particular time period. Any time period could be used as long as it is not impractical and still poses a challenge to the players.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A method for playing a singing game with at least two players comprising the steps of: providing a game board with a treble clef graphic in which the treble clef is divided into spaces along the length of the treble clef; assigning each player a playing piece; alternately designating different players to act as the tunesmith and requiring the tunesmith to announce a trigger word; allowing the players other than the tunesmith to compete to begin singing within a predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if a player other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing that player to advance his playing piece on the game board; if none of the players other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing the tunesmith to begin singing within a new predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing the tunesmith to advance his playing piece on the game board; and if the tunesmith is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, requiring the tunesmith to move his playing piece backward on the game board.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein musical notes are located on certain of the spaces on the game board, further comprising requiring a player whose playing piece lands on a space with a musical note to select a game card and follow the instructions on the game card.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the game board is electronic.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein there are at least three players, and wherein the game board includes a finish position, further comprising: when a player reaches the finish position, requiring the player who is in a third place position on the board to announce a trigger word and allowing the player in the finish position to begin singing within a predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if the player who is in the finish position is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, declaring the player in the finish position the winner of the game; if the player who is in the finish position is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing the player in the third place position to begin singing within a new predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if the player in the third place position is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, requiring the player in the finish position to remain in the finish position without winning the game and allowing the player in the third place position to advance his playing piece on the game board; and if the player in the third place position is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, declaring the player in the finish position winner of the game.
 5. A method for playing a singing game with at least two players comprising the steps of providing a game board that is divided into spaces for advancing playing pieces on the game board; assigning each player a playing piece; alternately designating different players to act as the tunesmith and requiring the tunesmith to announce a trigger word; allowing the players other than the tunesmith to compete to begin singing within a predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if a player other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing that player to advance his playing piece on the game board; if none of the players other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing the tunesmith to begin singing within a new predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; if the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, allowing the tunesmith to advance his playing piece on the game board; and if the tunesmith is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, requiring the tunesmith to move his playing piece backward on the game board.
 6. An apparatus for playing a singing game comprising: a game board with a treble clef graphic in which the treble clef is divided into spaces along the length of the treble clef; at least two playing pieces; and a plurality of game cards; wherein different players take turns acting as the tunesmith; wherein the tunesmith is required to announce a trigger word; wherein the players other than the tunesmith compete to begin singing within a predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; wherein if a player other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, that player is allowed to advance his playing piece on the game board; wherein if none of the players other than the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the tunesmith is allowed to begin singing within a new predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; wherein if the tunesmith is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the tunesmith is allowed to advance his playing piece on the game board; and wherein if the tunesmith is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the tunesmith is required to move his playing piece backward on the game board.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein musical notes are located on certain of the spaces on the game board, and wherein a player whose playing piece lands on a space with a musical note must select a game card and follow the instructions on the game card.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the game board is electronic.
 9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein there are at least three players; wherein the game board comprises a finish position; wherein when a player reaches the finish position, the player who is in a third place position on the board is required to announce a trigger word, and the player who is in the finish position is allowed to begin singing within a predefined of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; wherein if the player who is in the finish position is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the player in the finish position wins the game; wherein if the player who is in the finish position is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the player in the third place position is allowed to begin singing within a new predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song; wherein if the player in the third place position is able to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the player in the finish position is required to remain in the finish position without winning the game, and the player in the third place position is allowed to advance his playing piece on the game board; and wherein if the player in the third place position is unable to begin singing within the predefined period of time and to sing at least a predetermined number of words including the trigger word from an existing song, the player in the finish position wins the game. 